About 27 years back on 6 December 1992, evil forces demolished the historical Babri Masjid for political gain and they broke the hearts of about 200 million Muslims which always beat for Indian democracy. Recently the Supreme Court has also termed their action of demolishing Babri Masjid as illegal.
In fact, demolishing Babri Masjid was not merely a communal insurgency, which claimed hundreds of innocent Muslim lives across India; rather it was a big blow to Muslims’ religious identity. It was also a blatant attack on the secular ethos of the country. Notably, it gave rise to animosities between two communities that are still seen in many parts of the country even after Supreme Court’s 9th November judgment.
Muslims have made it clear that they respect the judgment but are not satisfied; therefore, they are going for review petition which is their democratic right too. As per the law experts, Judgment upholds the faith of one community over the other even after mentioning the clear evidences in favour of Babri Masjid. The Indian Muslims believe that the Supreme Court is indeed supreme but not infallible; therefore, it is their right to go for review petition.
After review petition, though the legal battle over the ownership of the Babri Masjid will continue for more some time, it needs to be noted that the concern of the Muslims with regard to the Babri Masjid stems from their desire to protect their places of worship in accordance with the rules of the Shariah and not from any identification with or support for Babar or association with a particular bit of land.
As per the Muslims, the commandments of the Shariah cannot be ignored. The Shariah has clearly stipulated that as soon as a place becomes a Masjid its ownership is wholly transferred from the hands of human beings. Once a place becomes a Masjid, it remains so forever, even though it might become dilapidated or is no longer prayed in or even if no Muslims live any longer in its vicinity. Even in such conditions, it cannot cease to be a Masjid, and no one can change its status. In this very scenario five-acre land offer is meaningless for Muslims.
The last and the final question in this issue is that if the Supreme Court again gives a verdict against Muslims rejecting review petition—will it be acceptable for them? The answer is quite clear that Muslims will accept it, although; it will be a mere compromise in view of the fact that the Supreme Court has itself mentioned concrete evidences in support of Muslim claims in its 9th November verdict. (writer is assistant editor of Eastern Crescent, Mumbai. views are personal)
